Johnny Come Lately

Steve Earle

I'm an American, boys, and I've come a long way


I was born and bred in the USA


So listen up close, I've get something to say


Boys, I'm buying this round


Well it took a Iittke while but we're in this fight


And we ain't going home 'til we've done what's right


We're gonna drink Camden Town dry tonight


If I have to spend my last pound


When I first got to London it was pourin' down rain


Met a Iittle girl in the field canteen


Painted her name on the nose of my plane


Six more missions I'm gene


Well I asked if I could stay and she said that I might


Then the warden came around yelling "turn out the lights"


Death rainin' out of the London night


We made love 'til dawn





But when Johnny Come Lately comes marching home


With a chest full of medals and a G.l. loan


They'll be waitin' at the station down in San Antone


When Johnny comes marching home





MY P-47 is a pretty good ship


And she took a round coming cross the Channel last trip


I was thinking 'bout my baby and letting her rip


Always got me through so far


Well they can ship me all over this great big world


But I'll never find nothing like my North End girl


I'm taking her home whh me one day, sir


Soon as we win this war





Now my granddaddy sang me this song


Told me about Londen when the Blitz was on


How he married Grandma and brought her back home


A hero throughout his land


Now I'm standing on a runway in San Diego


A couple Purple Hearts and I move a little slow


There's nobody here, maybe nobody knows


About a place called Vietnam